Murphy's Law
by Stultulo
Summary: Cam's not having a very good day. A really not very good day.
1. part 1

Disclaimer: Not mine. Belongs to... oh, not me, Village Roadshow, among others.  
  
Spoilers: Takes place after "Nowhere to Grow".  
  
Author's note: Just returned from a trip with no internet access. Posting what I wrote and then will finish.  
  
Murphy's Law by Stultulo copyright 2003  
  
Cam sagged against the park bench. He was out, shopping for the supplies Ops desperately needed, and nothing seemed to be going right. His car had broken down, and to go where he needed to go, he'd taken the light rail train. Which had managed to break down.   
  
It had driven him to just walk away, have a few calming minutes to himself before he went shopping. At least Tori was nice enough to pick him up and drive him back to the Waterfall portal.  
  
He'd just gotten up when the air thundered behind him, a sure sign of teleportation, at least the teleportation used by Lothor's forces. "Yoo hoo! Geek!"  
  
Cam swung around. Sure enough, there were a bunch of Kelzaks, in addition to a handler: Marah. He had no idea why Marah was handling anything by herself, but he knew that it wasn't a good idea to find out.  
  
"Ooh, you're cute. I just realized that," Marah said, batting her eyelashes. "No wonder Uncle wants you."  
  
Cam didn't need to hear more. He just ran.  
  
~~~  
  
Marah's smile turned to a pout "Well, why are you standing there? He's running!"   
  
The Kelzaks took after the departing figure in green. Marah was left standing there, wondering why all the cute guys kept running. She followed the fashion magazines and everything.  
  
Of course, it probably had something to do with Uncle Lothor's plan. Uncle Lothor had wanted this guy... he had something to do with the Rangers. And he was letting her off on her own and he wasn't letting Kapri do anything! That was a major plus part as far as she was concerned.  
  
She sat down on the seat that Cam had vacated, and sighed. Maybe Uncle would let her have the guy when he was done with him. Twirling one of her long braids with her finger, she hoped the Kelzaks would return with the guy soon. She was getting bored.  
  
~~~  
  
Cam was glad he had little on him besides his wallet and car keys. While he prided himself for being in such good shape, he wished his father would let him learn Ninja ways. He would love to be able to Ninja Streak right now.  
  
Behind him, the Kelzaks gibbered. He could hear them crash through the underbrush and babble at each other while he tried to get to a point where he could rest for a moment and get his wits together.  
  
With a burst of speed, he managed to put them behind him. For the moment. He had to get out of there, and out of there *soon*.   
  
He looked back, looked forward, ducked under a tree....  
  
And a sword, a Kelzak sword, dented the tree beside him.  
  
He was surrounded. There were too many of them. He could take a few out, but....  
  
No, he couldn't think about that. He swung around, started fighting. If he could get out of there, get free, contact Tori and the others... he wasn't going to be part of a plot to hurt the Rangers, hurt his father.  
  
A sword crashed down on his head, and the world turned black. His last thought was that he should have stayed in bed.  
  
to be continued. 


	2. part 2

Disclaimer and notes in part 1.  
  
Murphy's Law by Stultulo copyright 2003 part 2  
  
When consciousness returned, Cam found himself surrounded by a bunch of gibbering Kelzaks and a cheery Marah. She pinched his cheek. "Oh, you're so cute. I wonder if Uncle would let me have you after he's done."  
  
Realizing that this would probably be a fate similar to being hooked up with Elmyra, Cam struggled. "Oh, are we a little unhappy? Don't worry. Help him up," Marah instructed. As the Kelzaks hauled him up, Marah smiled and tapped her staff to the ground.  
  
The park disappeared to reveal a dark corridor. Marah was whistling as she walked down the corridor. Cam tried one more time to resist, but the Kelzaks were hauling him forward.   
  
His best guess was that Lothor had sent Marah after him. After all, why waste *talent* on the Ranger team's support person? Never mind that he could fight; his father had been teaching him the way of the Samurai the best that he could given that he was a Ninja.  
  
And of course, he'd been captured. Like the helpless geek that Lothor and the others thought he was. Only Shane had seen him fight firsthand. Only Shane and his father knew that he could fight.  
  
The corridor eventually ended in a room. A large room. As Marah stepped out of the way, he could see Lothor, sitting on a self-styled throne. "Hey, Uncle, I brought him."  
  
"Excellent." Lothor smiled. On one side, Cam could see Lothor's other niece, Kapri. She was making gagging noises.   
  
"So, Uncle, what *do* we want with him? Not that he isn't cute in his own way or anything, but...."  
  
"It's simple. Defeating the Rangers has so far proved fruitless. But the Rangers don't do everything on their own; they have to have help, and help beyond their Sensei. Remove that support, and...."  
  
"I get it! No more Rangers," Marah squealed.  
  
"It's not as easy as that," Lothor said, "But it is part one of a good plan, if I do say so myself. Remove the support, demoralize your enemies, and blam! No more enemies."  
  
"So," Zurgane rumbled, "What do we do with the prisoner, sir?"  
  
"Uh, Uncle," Marah said, "Can I have him? Please?" She shot a pleading look at Lothor.  
  
"I guess so, since you're the one who captured him." Lothor smiled again at his niece. "Go, have your fun. He's not going anywhere."  
  
"With all due respect, sir," Zurgane rumbled, "This is a potentially dangerous enemy prisoner! You don't just leave him in private quarters with no way to restrain him."  
  
"Hm. Good point." Lothor looked thoughtful, tapping his chin. "Zurgane, get a restraining collar."  
  
"Yes, sir!" Zurgane turned towards one of the Kelzaks and muttered to it. The Kelzak took off, only to arrive minutes later with a collar. "How do you want this handled, sir?"  
  
"For the moment," Lothor said, "Let's confine him to Marah's room." He smiled indulgently at his niece. "Partially to keep him from being underfoot, and Marah deserves it."  
  
"Sounds good to me, sir," Zurgane rumbled. he tapped something on a control and on the collar. The general came up to the still-held Cam and placed the collar around his neck.  
  
Once the collar was locked in place, Zurgane handed the control to Marah. "Press this button to activate the collar once you get to your room. Press *this* button to deactivate it."  
  
"So, what happens if I turn it on right here?" Marah asked.  
  
"It would be extremely painful for the prisoner," Zurgane replied. He sounded like he wouldn't mind that one bit. One look at Lothor, however, and he amended, "This is why you don't want to turn it on until he's in your quarters."  
  
"Right," Marah smiled cheerily. "Uncle, can I go?"  
  
"Go on," Lothor said, dismissing her. "Enjoy your new... toy."  
  
Cam shuddered.  
  
~~~  
  
Marah and the Kelzaks led Cam down a series of long corridors before stopping in a particular doorway. Marah keyed something in and the door slid open. "In you go," she said.   
  
The Kelzaks pushed Cam through the door. Marah smiled and got out the control. "What did General Zurgane say? Oh, yes." She punched a control, and Cam felt a brief pain radiate out from the band on his neck. "There we go. Kelzaks, hold on to him for another minute."  
  
While the set of Kelzaks held onto him, Marah opened the drawer to her dresser and placed the control inside. She reached inside her vest and produced a key. "Okay, I'm done. You can go now. Don't worry. I can handle him."  
  
The band of Kelzaks left, and the door slid closed. Marah looked at him critically. "Green is *so* not your color," she said, and started rooting in her clothes closet. "But I'll fix that."  
  
Cam shuddered again.  
  
to be continued. 


	3. part 3

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Buena Vista and Village Roadshow.  
  
Murphy's Law by Stultulo copyright 2003 part 3  
  
Marah smiled at her new companion's look. Gone was the utterly boring green shirt and blue jeans. Instead, she'd scrounged up a baggy pair of black pants, a white shirt, red vest, and a white sash to act as a belt. All in all, he made a pretty good pirate, especially after she'd taken away the glasses that spoiled the look.  
  
Okay, he was glaring. She'd never seen him smile, and she supposed that being a prisoner wasn't too fun. He hadn't attacked her, though. Just glared. Of course, a captured *pirate* probably wouldn't smile, either, so he was probably in character. Right now he was sitting in one corner, on one of her pinkest pillows. Maybe Uncle would spring for for something more masculine for him. She kneeled down in front of him so that their faces were level with each other. "I'm going out to see Uncle. I'll be back."  
  
Her companion didn't reply. In a fit of pity, she patted his head awkwardly, and then she left.  
  
~~~  
  
Cam squinted as Marah left. Unfortunately, with Marah having taken his glasses, she tended to be a big red, white, and dark colored blob.  
  
He looked at his outfit critically. As far as fashion went, Marah's choice in clothing could have been far worse. It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't worth protesting over. Especially when protesting might cause Marah to select something even worse.  
  
And the last thing he wanted to do is attract attention. Being Marah's plaything would no doubt keep him out of the public eye, or at least away from the attention of the denizens of Lothor's spaceship. He had no desire to actually interact with anyone. At least Marah was pleasant, if bubbleheaded.  
  
Still, he had to get out of there, and soon. And that meant somehow getting out of the restraining collar Zurgane had put onto him, and somehow finding his way off a spaceship. Of the two, getting out of the collar would be easy - at least if he could get it deactivated. Marah had locked it in one of her dresser drawers, and all Cam needed was a bit of time to get around that.  
  
How he was going to get back to Earth was another question. He had no idea how most of the monsters, Lothor, or his family teleported. If it was some internal, innate thing, then he was in a heap of trouble.  
  
Cam tugged at the collar. It had a little leeway, but not enough that he could really hook too many fingers under it. From what Zurgane had said, if he stepped outside Marah's room, he'd probably not be able to get very far, just from the pain. And that would attract attention he didn't want.  
  
Quietly, he walked over to Marah's dresser, starting to examine how it was made... and how he'd get the collar controller and his glasses back.  
  
~~~  
  
Marah headed back to the throne room. There, she could just hang, avoid Kapri, and catch Uncle at the best possible moment. If Uncle's plans were going well, that meant that she could ask for things and get them.   
  
"So, Marah," Uncle Lothor greeted her. "How's your new... friend?" Behind him, Kapri rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh, he's pretty good," Marah said. "He's... well, at least he looks better."  
  
Her Uncle gave her a brief nod. "Good. Keep him occupied."  
  
Marah frowned. She couldn't quite figure out what Uncle Lothor meant. "Occupied, Uncle?" she asked.  
  
He turned his brilliant smile on her. "Don't worry about coming up here, Marah. Just... keep a good eye on your... companion."  
  
"Oh," Marah said in relief. "I can do that."  
  
"Good," Lothor said. "Now go."  
  
"And lock your staff up," Zurgane rumbled.  
  
Marah frowned again. "Why?"  
  
"I do not wish to have him gain access to teleportation."  
  
Uncle smiled. "What Zurgane is saying, Marah, is that after all the trouble you had catching him, you don't want him to run away, right?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Right." Marah smiled. Then she frowned. "Where's he gonna sleep?" she asked. The question had been stewing for a while, and had just presented itself.  
  
"Where do you think, Marah?" Kapri contributed. "In your bed, duh."  
  
"I'm not having a guy in my bed!" Marah exclaimed.   
  
Uncle held up a hand. "Marah, I'll have... Choobo, is it?" The green creature hurriedly bowed. "I'll have Choobo find a bed for your... friend."  
  
Marah smiled. "Wonderful!"   
  
When Uncle waved at her to go, she left. Oh, the guy was going to so enjoy being with her! 


	4. part 4

Disclaimers in part one. Hoping to wrap this up in part 5 or six. Sorry.  
  
Murphy's Law by Stultulo copyright 2003 part 4  
  
Cam leaned against the dresser. He'd been examining the makeup of the dresser, seeing if there was a way to get to the locked drawers without breaking the thing apart. He didn't want to damage the dresser - for one, it would be obvious, and he'd have to sneak out of there. For another, somehow he didn't want to hurt Marah. She might have been working for Lothor, but she seemed to be the nicest of the bunch.  
  
Hearing someone at the door, he hurriedly skittered away from the dresser, clumsily landing on Marah's fluffy pink bed. Why a villain needed an overstuffed bed, he was unsure, but it was hers.  
  
"Get off my bed!" Marah yelled. Taking one look at her panicked face, Cam complied.  
  
"I'm sorry," Cam said, getting off the bed and returning to his pillow. "I didn't mean to make you upset."   
  
If Marah got upset, then Lothor would know, and he wanted Lothor to forget as soon as possible.  
  
Marah sniffled a little. "You've got a nice voice," she said. "And I guess you wouldn't have known my bed is off limits."  
  
"Yeah." He wondered why she was so panicked about him sitting on her bed, but decided not to pry.  
  
"Uncle's got someone looking for a bed for you," Marah said. "Kapri said that we should share one, but we're not married or anything, so I refused."  
  
"Thanks." He'd doubted Marah was 'interested' in him. He suddenly felt rather happy that it was Marah, rather than Kapri, who had been assigned to capture him. He still wanted to get out of there, but at least he might still get out with his sanity intact. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
Marah smiled. "Sure. Uncle said to keep an eye on you, so what'd you want to know?"  
  
"Well, for one thing, could I have my glasses back."  
  
She pursed her lips. "They spoil the look."  
  
"If I don't have them, you look like a big blob," Cam said. "A big black, red, and white blob." He squinted at her, just to see her reaction.  
  
"Oh," Marah said. "Well, pirates don't wear glasses." She looked thoughtful, and then brightened. "I know, I'll find you something where you can wear your glasses. Maybe I'll ask Uncle Lothor if I can take you with me shopping sometime."  
  
"Maybe you can find something on the ship," Cam suggested. Lothor would be expecting him to try to run away from *that*. "I don't think you should ask him that. I'm a prisoner, remember?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," Marah said. "Yeah, it's not like I'm leaving you alone. In fact, Uncle told me to stay here with you. Though if you want to go up to the bridge, we can go. It's more exciting up there anyway."  
  
Cam pulled at his restraining collar to remind her that he was stuck in her room.  
  
"Oh," she said, comprehending. "I wonder if I could get Zurgane or Uncle to adjust the controls," she said. "I mean, I like my bedroom, but I like being around Kapri and Zurgane and Uncle more, and it's kinda boring in here."  
  
"That's okay," he said. "I kinda like it in here more than I do out there."  
  
"Really?" Marah asked. "Then I like it here too." She walked over and sat down by him. "So, what do you want to do?"  
  
"Do?" Cam echoed.  
  
"Yeah." Marah looked at him. "Like, what do you do at home to have fun?"  
  
"Well, I watch TV and play games on my computer," Cam answered.  
  
"Oh," Marah said, disconcerted. "Well, I don't have a computer here or a TV, but...." She looked over at him. "What do you do when you're not having fun?"  
  
"I program the computers, maintain the Zords, and try to keep the Rangers from being killed," Cam said. "When I'm not doing that, I'm taking care of my father."  
  
"Oh, yeah, Uncle turned him into a guinea pig, right?" Marah asked. "A guinea pig would be so cute!" She paused. "Is your Dad cute?"  
  
"I, uh, kinda never noticed," Cam said.  
  
"Oh," Marah said. "I have a blowfish. Did you see George while you were waiting for me?"  
  
"George?" Cam asked.  
  
Marah stood up and offered him a hand. She led him over to a small bowl sitting on a table. "George."  
  
"Oh." She wasn't kidding about the blowfish.  
  
"Isn't he cute?" Marah asked. "I mean, not as cute as a guinea pig, but... I love him."  
  
"I can see that," he said, as she picked up some fish food and fed her fish.  
  
"Do you have any pets?" she asked.  
  
Cam shook his head.  
  
"Oh well." She smiled again. "That's okay. You can help me take care of George!"  
  
"I can hardly wait," Cam mumbled. 


	5. part 5

Disclaimer and notes in part one. Looks like it'll wrap up in part 6. I think. Another useless part.  
  
Murphy's Law by Stultulo copyright 2003 part 5  
  
Marah looked over at Cam. "Not a fish person?" she asked.  
  
"Let me put it this way," Cam said. "If my father couldn't talk, he'd be dead."  
  
"That's okay!" Marah said perkily. "Between the two of us, we can take care of George, and I'll make sure you don't kill him off." She led him back to sit down on the floor.  
  
"So, what do you do for fun?" Cam asked, out of curiosity than anything else.  
  
"Well, there are a few things," Marah said. "Most of the time I spend with Kapri. She's a little mean, but I like spending time with her. I spend a lot of time on the bridge." She paused. "I really don't spend a lot of time in here, but Uncle said I should stay off the bridge for a while and spend it all with you."  
  
"That's nice of him," Cam said neutrally, trying to look confused. "I wonder why?"  
  
"I don't know, but... I don't mind." She looked over at him. "It's nice spending time with someone who isn't Kapri, or Zurgane, or Uncle. I still don't know why he said to grab you, but you aren't so bad."  
  
"He had his reasons," Cam said. "If something breaks down for the Rangers, then...." He held out his hands in a helpless gesture. That wasn't true with the Zords, but if the Rangers busted their morphers....  
  
"Oh," Marah said. "You fix things!"  
  
"Right," he said. He made a motion towards the ship. "If something went wrong here, I might be able to fix it."  
  
"Really?" Marah asked. "I'll have to tell Uncle that. He always complains that he needs a repairman."  
  
"Um... I'm an enemy prisoner, Marah, I don't think he'd trust me." He indicated his collar. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, though."  
  
"Oh, well," Marah said. "It was a thought." She looked at her dresser. "So, what do you want to do?"  
  
"Do?" Cam echoed.  
  
"Well, since we're going to be here, and it's not like Choobo's found a bed, and you can't go anywhere...." She looked at him. "Can you play pirate?"  
  
"I don't think I'd be very good at it," Cam confessed.  
  
"Hm. I know! You can be a mechanic!" Marah said. "I'm sure I can find you a jumpsuit somewhere, and there's a Kelzak who can sew. And tailor. Let me find it."  
  
She was out of there, grabbing her staff on the way out. Cam sighed.  
  
He slipped under her dresser once again to try to get his glasses and the control for his collar. He didn't hate Marah, but he didn't think he could take being up on Lothor's ship much longer.  
  
Cam had just about figured out how to unlock the drawers when someone pounded on the doors. "Yoo-hoo, Marah! Got that bed for you!" called the person outside Marah's door. Cam scrambled back against Marah's bed.   
  
"Marah's not here," he called. He hoped that he hadn't just gotten himself into more trouble.  
  
The door slid open. There was a greenish monster standing there with some kelzaks. Choobo, Cam vaguely recalled, one of those who had invaded the Wind academy. "That's okay," Choobo said. "Now, where do you want this bed? Oh, yeah, you're the prisoner." He seemed to ponder for a moment. "Kelzaks. Set that up over there."  
  
Three kelzaks came into the room, toting a pair of poles and a rope bundle. "Now you be a good boy and not cause trouble." Choobo waved an admonishing finger at him.  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it," Cam said dryly. He watched as the minions set up the poles, securing them to the floor, and then untangling the rope. A few minutes later, and they'd somehow assembled a hammock.  
  
"Have fun," Choobo said, gathering up the kelzaks. "Enjoy." With a chuckle, he left, the door sliding shut behind him.  
  
Cam looked at the hammock. He was expected to sleep in *that*? He shook his head. "No way," he muttered, and redoubled his efforts with Marah's dresser.   
  
It was only when he heard noise outside that he rolled out from under the desk and returned to the pillow.  
  
"Hi!" Marah beamed. Behind her was a kelzak. Stepping into the room, she frowned. "Oh, dear."  
  
"What?" Cam asked. He looked around.  
  
Marah's face was a picture of embarrassment. "You can't be a mechanic anymore. Mechanics don't sleep in hammocks."  
  
"Yes they can," Cam said.  
  
"Not in my room, they don't." She plopped down on her bed. "That's okay, you look good as you are. If there was only some way you could see." She smiled suddenly. "That's it!"  
  
"What's it?" Cam asked.  
  
"Kelzak, make him an eyepatch," Marah said to the waiting kelzak.  
  
The kelzak gibbered eagerly as it stalked towards its prey. 


	6. part 6

Disclaimer in part 1. We're getting there.  
  
Murphy's Law by Stultulo copyright 2003 part 6  
  
A half hour later, Cam was tied up and the kelzak was babbling away contentedly. Far from making its victim a simple eyepatch, the kelzak seemed to have decided that he needed an entire change of outfit. So Cam now had several yards of measuring tape attached to him.  
  
"Could you tell it that it can untie me?" he asked Marah.  
  
"Uh, I could, but it's a genius when it comes to clothes, so I never try to tell it anything when it's working," Marah said.  
  
"Oh," Cam said. He looked at the kelzak again.   
  
"You hungry or anything?" Marah asked. "I guess I can get you something to eat. I bet you haven't eaten *all day*."  
  
Cam nodded. Marah came up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be right back."  
  
As the young woman skipped out of the room, Cam wondered if he could somehow get the kelzak to leave him alone. "You could sew this someplace else, you know," he said.  
  
The kelzak just looked up at the tied up young man, gibbered in an offended tone, and went back to its measuring and sewing.  
  
A few minutes later, Marah came skipping back into the room. "Yoo-hoo," she said to the kelzak. "I'm really sorry to do this to you when you're doing this for me, but Uncle kinda needs you now."  
  
The kelzak gibbered.  
  
"Yeah, you can finish this for me later," Marah said.  
  
The kelzak gibbered again, happily, and left.  
  
Marah sat down next to him. "Uncle's sent a monster down," she explained.  
  
"Oh," Cam said.  
  
"Uh, you look a little bored," Marah said.  
  
"What makes you think that?" Cam asked sarcastically, tugging at his bonds.  
  
"'Cause you do."  
  
"That's because I am bored."  
  
"Oh," Marah said. "What would you be doing right now if you weren't here?"  
  
"I'd be at Ops, watching the Rangers fight off Lothor's latest alien," Cam answered.  
  
"Well," Marah said, "I don't think Uncle wants us up there, but if you really want that, I guess I can see if I can talk him into that."  
  
"No!" Cam exploded. He calmed down a little. "That's nice of you, Marah, but I don't think your uncle likes me very much."  
  
Marah's hurt expression turned to one of understanding. "Okay, I won't." She paused. "I guess you really don't want to be here, huh?"  
  
"No," Cam told her. "Marah, in case you forget, I'm a prisoner."  
  
"Well, that's kinda boring," Marah said. "Would you escape, if you could?"  
  
"Yes," Cam said. To say otherwise would be suspicious.  
  
"Okay," Marah replied. "If you're really bored here...."  
  
She seemed to think for a little while, and then unlocked her dresser drawers. Cam's heart skipped as he saw his glasses and the control to the collar. Then she unlocked her closet door and took out her staff.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Well, I guess if you're not having fun... it's time to go home," Marah said. "So... I'm gonna go up and watch the battle up in Uncle's throne room, and you're going to go and be rescued by your friends."  
  
"Okay," Cam said, not knowing if this was part of Lothor's plan or just Marah having one of her moments.  
  
"So... after I leave, you're gonna get untied and grab my key." She put the key on the bed. "Then you're going to get the stuff out of my dresser and my closet." She paused. "I guess you're going to have to figure out how to turn the collar off before you go." She left the staff by him. "After that, just think of the Rangers and tap my staff on the ground twice, and you'll be there for them to rescue you." She grinned. "Uncle will be kinda mad, but it won't be boring around here."  
  
Marah slid Cam's glasses back on and loosened his ties. "Just don't be here when I come back," she said. "And... you look good in that outfit. Take it with you. I won't mind."   
  
With that, Marah left. Cam slid out of his bonds and looked at the controls, easily deactivating the collar... or so he believed. Crossing his fingers, he grasped the staff, closed his eyes, and concentrated. He tapped the staff twice....  
  
And opened them to the sight of battle.  
  
tbc.... 


	7. part 7

Disclaimer: Characters belong to BVE.  
  
Spoilers: Very mild ones for Samurai's Journey (1-3) and Scent of a Ranger. Other mild ones for "Return of Thunder" and "Beauty and the Beach".  
  
Murphy's Law by Stultulo copyright 2003 part 7 (end)  
  
"Cam!" Shane called. "Tori, get him out of danger!"  
  
"I can get myself out of danger very much, thank you," Cam muttered, but used Marah's staff to lever himself up before dropping it. He figured that Marah might want it back, and it was the fair thing to do.  
  
"C'mon, Cam," Tori said, escorting him out of the danger zone.  
  
Cam let her, feeling tired. He watched as the three friends managed to destroy the monster, and was glad that said monster didn't turn huge, as he wasn't there to call the zords.  
  
"What happened?" Shane asked.  
  
"It's a complicated story best told somewhere else," Cam said. He didn't want to say "Ninja Ops" because he remembered too well what he had been told about Tori's "double".  
  
"Oh, okay," Shane said.   
  
"Dudes, he disappeared, shouldn't we, like, worry about a Tori clone?" Dustin asked.  
  
"Right," Shane said.  
  
Cam held up his hands. "Guys, it's me. That's why I didn't suggest Ops."  
  
"Well, the clothes are definitely not Cam, and the collar...." Tori trailed off, looking at Cam critically.  
  
"Restraining collar, courtesy of Zurgane," Cam said, grimacing. "As for the clothes... Marah said I looked boring. On the bright side, I avoided getting an eyepatch."  
  
"Actually, you don't look bad as a pirate," Tori said.   
  
"Can we *please* have this conversation someplace else?" He didn't want to get Marah in trouble, after she'd let him go.  
  
"All right," Shane said.  
  
"Dude, but...." Dustin inclined his head towards Cam.  
  
"We'll have to take that risk."  
  
"At least let's get into the van," Cam said, knowing it wasn't likely that Lothor could monitor them there. "We can go wherever you guys want."  
  
"Right," Shane said. The three demorphed.  
  
"Where's the van?" Cam asked.   
  
"Storm Chargers, a mile away," Tori said. "Hope you don't mind walking."  
  
Cam nodded. Normally, the three of them would Ninja Streak back to where they had been to hide their identities as Rangers, but he couldn't. So the four of them slowly walked back to Storm Chargers, the Rangers softly discussing how to explain their disappearance on the way back. Especially Dustin, who was supposed to be working.  
  
He winced. He and the others didn't have that much responsibility, that much structure in their lives, but Dustin... he had commitments.   
  
But Dustin seemed unconcerned. As Tori and Shane hustled Cam into the van, the Yellow Ranger merely walked back into his place of work.  
  
"So," Shane said, when the three of them were inside, with the windows rolled up. "What happened?"  
  
"I got captured by Marah," Cam said. "I was spending time as a 'guest' on Lothor's ship. Fortunately, he turned me over to Marah instead of Zurgane, or I wouldn't be here."  
  
The two Rangers looked sympathetically at him. "So, how did you escape?" Shane asked.  
  
"Marah has interesting logic," Cam said. "I was bored, so she thought it might be better if I get rescued."  
  
"What?" Shane asked. "That makes no sense."  
  
"I don't think Marah makes much sense," Cam replied dryly. "However, she wasn't so bad... I'm not sure she's really evil, just misguided."  
  
"Thank goodness for that," Tori said, leaning towards him.   
  
"We've got to convince Sensei to teach you to Ninja Streak, if nothing else," Shane said. "I mean, you know how to fight, but... if you'd been able to get away...."  
  
"I'll talk to my father," Cam said. "I don't know if he'll go for it, but...."  
  
Shane slapped him on the shoulder. "We'll be right there behind you."  
  
"Thanks, Shane," Cam said. But in his mind, he knew that his father wouldn't do it. He needed other ways of getting himself and others to safety. *Maybe a teleport system,* he thought. *It's theoretically possible.*  
  
"You're welcome," Shane said. "Now let's get you back to Ops."  
  
Cam smiled. "Best news all day."  
  
* * *  
  
Marah had gone up to watch the battle, just as she said she would. Uncle seemed to be in a good mood, as his Alien was attacking the Rangers.  
  
"What's that?" he roared, ad Cam popped in on the scene. Marah took the opportunity to grab the PAM. He swung towards her. "Marah, why are you up here? Your 'guest' got away!"  
  
"Well, he said he didn't want to watch the battle and I did, so I left him in my room, and...."  
  
"Did you lock up your staff?" Zurgane rumbled.   
  
"I did everything you said!" Marah squeaked. "Everything's where it was supposed to be!" She broke into false tears. "He stole my staff!"  
  
"Gee, that's what you get for leaving the guy alone," Kapri said unsympathetically.  
  
"But... but..." Marah pretended to cry again.  
  
"Oh, go to your room and stay there," Lothor growled. He turned. "Now, where's my PAM?"  
  
"It was just there, sir," Zurgane said patiently.  
  
"Well, find it so that I can make my monster grow!" Lothor exclaimed. Everybody in the throne room scrambled to find it. Marah joined them, knowing that she'd have to put it down... but not before her pirate got away.  
  
Waiting a few more seconds, she put the PAM down and kept searching. Eventually, a kelzak picked it up. "Here it is, sir," Zurgane said.  
  
"Good. Now send the scroll down."  
  
Zurgane hit a few keys. "I cannot, sir," he said. "It's been too long."  
  
"Too long?" her uncle roared, and Marah scrambled out of sight. "What more can go wrong today?"  
  
"Uh, sir, Mister Lothor? It's not all a loss!" Choobo exclaimed. "I know who you can catch that can cause all sorts of harm!"  
  
"And who would that be?"  
  
"The Thunder Rangers!" Choobo said. "I have a plan."  
  
Marah scrambled away while she had a chance. Uncle would forget, eventually, and then she would be welcome back in his throne room. In the meantime, there was her fish, and she had enough reminders of her prisoner that she'd be occupied for a while.  
  
And maybe someday her pirate would come again. She hoped he liked her for what she did. Blinking away her false tears, she smiled.  
  
Yes, someday her pirate would come.  
  
--end. 


End file.
